Richardson and Davis Post (Reading Quiz 2)

Elaine Richardson's "My Ill Literacy Narrative: Growing Up Black, Po and a Girl in the Hood"

1. Why does Richardson identify this narrative as an "ill literacy narrative"? Which events does she share to support the concept of "ill literacy"?

           

            Richardson identifies this narrative as an ill literacy narrative because it shows how the expectations of society are different in different places of the world, not only by region, but also by culture, class, and “social situatedness.,” and how these different categories are affected. “My Ill Literacy Narrative:  Growing Up Black, Po, and a Girl in the Hood” demonstrates various examples of these problems from Elaine Richardson’s life.   For example, Elaine was taught by the outside world that she was ugly, even though those around her thought that she was beautiful.  As an African-American, Elaine did not fit into the “beauty stereotype.”  “Both my brother and I learned through society’s texts that long flowing hair, light skin and Anglo features are equated with beauty.”  During her childhood, women were taught that men controlled them, and thus, Elaine was subjected to sexual interactions that she did not particularly enjoy, out of the “fact” that she was to do what the boys wanted.  “My actions or inaction (depending on the reader’s preference) appears to align me with the Black woman as sexual object/whore.  On the other hand, my inner thoughts as well as my outward squirming and struggle challenge the logic of the dominant discourse’s expectation of submission and helplessness.  The narrative is a helpful reminder of how expectations of society in culture, class, and “social situatedness” can undermine the actions and thoughts of people.

1. What role does dialogue play in the way that Sedaris makes sense of the challenges associated with learning French? How does it support/not support the purposes of this essay?

            Dialogue is a major factor in showing the challenges of learning French in the short story “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris.  By using dialogue, Sedaris demonstrated how the teacher taught them how to speak French and taught them the extensive vocabulary, although the teacher’s methods appeared to be quite abnormal and often barbaric.  For example, the teacher asked, “Do we have anyone in the room whose first name commences with an ahh?”  By doing that, the teacher showed the appropriate way to pronounce the words.  Also, by showing the ways that the teacher attacked the students demonstrated how the teacher got the vocabulary into the students’ heads.  It supports the purposes of this essay by showing how hard it is to learn the language and how hard it is to teach it well.